


Goodbye Isn't Forever

by Orange_Coyote



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Gen, Love Confessions, M/M, it's supposed to be hopeful not sad, no kisses or smut in this one sorry, preet says it's angsty-ish idk, they're both just out of high school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 10:19:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4475696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orange_Coyote/pseuds/Orange_Coyote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel is leaving to New York City so our two boys must say goodbye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goodbye Isn't Forever

**Author's Note:**

> this happened since I've been feeling blocked lately  
> prompt: This isn't how I intended to say goodbye.

“This isn’t how I intended to say goodbye,” Castiel murmured. His gaze fixed firmly upon his dusty tennis shoes while his fingers flexed unconsciously at his sides.

“Yeah, me either.” Dean sighed, running his left hand against the grain of his hair and down the back of his neck. “I guess there’s not much choice.”

The two teens elected to spent the next three minutes standing silently across from one another, Dean half-leaning against the side of his beloved Impala where it sat parked inside the outer parking lot of the airport. Castiel’s luggage stood impassively at his feet, reminding the boys with every downward glance of the teen’s imminent departure.

“I wish things could have been different,” Cas admitted quietly. “I wish I could stay here with you and start our lives the way we had planned. I wish New York City wasn’t so far away.” He paused, looking over to where rows of airplanes stretched across the large field of tarmac. “I wish I could convince you to come with me.”

“Don’t you think I’d want that too? Cas, it would’ve been perfect for us here. You know that?” Dean shook his head and sighed. He wouldn’t yell at Cas, hadn’t done so for years. His voice came out softly when he added, “But life doesn’t work that way. People like me, they don’t get to keep nice things for long.” Dean shrugged, forcing his gaze from his best friend’s semi-permanent frown to the trail of fluffy, disjointed cloud cover floating across the sky above. If there were a single gray cloud, he might convince himself a storm would delay Cas’ flight and they could have more time together. But it seemed even the weather wasn’t on his side. “And I can’t go with you. You know that.”

“I know,” Cas conceded. “Just wishful thinking… Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you believe in miracles?”

Dean looked straight into the pair of deep blue eyes that changed his life all those years ago before responding. “I didn’t used to,” he confessed sincerely. “Now I’m not so sure.”

“Well, I do. Know what else I believe in?”

“What?”

“Us.”

Dean groaned, hissing as the single word settled in the air. He’d walked himself right into that one. “Don’t say stuff like that, Cas! You’re just gonna make this harder than it has to be.”

“Damn it, Dean! Don’t you understand? This doesn’t  _have to be_ difficult. We can still be together. Maybe not the way we wanted, not the way we imagined it. But isn’t something better than cutting all ties?” Castiel whimpered, half in frustration and half at the unfairness of it all. Dean opened his mouth to make a retort, but Cas cut him off. “No,” he barked before Dean could utter a syllable. “Don’t. Just forget I said any of that.”

“Cas.”

The boy in question turned his head away, refusing to give an answer or even make eye contact. Dean restrained the urge to take the other boy in his arms and offer comfort. This needed to be said no matter how much it tore them both to pieces.

“Cas. I love you. Alright? I love you more than I like myself. Hell, I love you more than pie. _More than pie_ , Cas.” Dean let out a puff of air. The hard part was said and done. “Do you understand how hard it is for me to just drive you here, knowing I won't see you again for months at the very least, and then the last words between us are some stupid disagreement that we’ve already gone over five times in the past week?” Dean’s tone softened immeasurably when Castiel finally looked at him. “I won’t leave and you can’t stay. That’s how it is and nothing we say now will change that. I get it. I don’t wanna say goodbye with bad blood left between us, Cas. So come over here and just freaking hug me already? Please.”

Cas let out a wet laugh, rushing into Dean’s open and waiting arms. “I hate you,” he whispered hotly into his ear. “So much.”

Dean chuckled breathily. “Love you too, Cas.”

They held each other close until a continuous beeping emanating from Castiel’s trench coat pocket garnered their full attention. Cas pulled the phone from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and exhaled forlornly. “I have to go in now,” he explained despondently, “or I’ll miss the flight.”

“Fuck.” Dean’s grasp tightened momentarily before loosening enough that Cas could escape the hold. “Right. Yeah. Okay.”

Cas briefly considered throwing away his scholarship to NYU, the fancy condo his brothers Gabriel and Michael had leased for him – all of the possibilities the Big Apple had to offer – to wipe the threat of tears from Dean’s eyes and sidle back into the boy’s embrace. But, truth be told, Dean wouldn’t let that happen. He was too selfless to let Cas sacrifice his dreams of being an environmental lawyer, loath as he may be to admit such a thing aloud. Dean had always put his loved ones’ well-being first, far before his own. Cas felt honored to have a place among such an elite group.

He stepped back, his right hand finding the handle of his forest green rolling bag without removing his gaze from the boy before him.

“Call me?”

Dean smiled at that. “Yeah, sure thing.”

“I’ll text you before we take off,” Cas promised. “And again when I land at JFK.”

“Sounds good.”

“I love you, Dean Winchester.”

“Ditto,” came the reply, the lips Cas had come to love quirked in a soft smile.

Castiel backed away further, giving a last smile, and waved before fully turning around and sprinting toward the entrance of the nearest terminal. Just as he walked through the sliding automatic doors, he chanced a glance back where the Impala sat.

Dean gave a military salute, a cheesy grin spreading his lips, standing in the same position from a moment before. Cas grinned and returned the gesture.

As Flight 128 took to the air, Castiel said one last wordless goodbye.


End file.
